


The Problem with Ptings

by MotherOfBeardedDragons



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen, and is less murdery and more adorable, and still hungry, mentions of the wooly rebellion, the Doctor has a soft spot for adorable monsters, the Doctor's companions are concerned, the pting returns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 03:27:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17378711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MotherOfBeardedDragons/pseuds/MotherOfBeardedDragons
Summary: The pting shows up one day in the TARDIS hungry and looking for another meal. The Doctor agrees to let it stay as long as it doesn't try to murder anyone or eat anything important. It probably isn't a good idea, but how could anyone say no to that adorably ugly face?





	The Problem with Ptings

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really know what to say other than I love the pting and wanted to write a cute snuggly pting story. Because we all love the adorable murder monsters on Doctor Who.

   When the Doctor went into one of the back rooms of the TARDIS to investigate a mysterious sound, there were a lot of things she had been expecting. A mechanical issue, something that had fallen over, maybe even a space rat (although the TARDIS hadn’t had any issues with them in years. She definitely hadn’t been expecting what was now staring at her. 

   “What are you doing here?! How did you get in here? You better not have punched a hole in my TARDIS,” the Doctor rambled, looking for damage. Apparently the TARDIS had already repaired and sealed up the space where the creature had entered. Satisfied that the TARDIS was ok, the Doctor turned her attention to the creature before her. She took in the large eyes, snaggled teeth, and the tiny pudgy stocky body. The pting had followed her. 

   “What do you want? I already fed you a bomb. You can’t eat my TARDIS. Or my sonic, not again,” the Doctor stated, putting a protective hand on the sonic screwdriver in her pocket. It had been a couple of days since she had encountered the creature, but she thought a large explosion would have satisfied its appetite for a little longer. 

   The pting ignored everything she was saying and scrambled around on its stubby legs, its nub of a tail wagging as it snuffled around looking for something to eat. 

   The Doctor stepped in its path. “If you’re going to be on my ship then we need to lay out some ground rules,” the Doctor stated firmly. She could just chuck it back out into space, but it would most likely come back. Plus she didn’t have the heart to do it. It really was kind of cute in a weird way. 

   The pting snarled slightly at her blocking its path, but made no attempt to attack or act hostile. She figured it knew by now that she was trying to help, plus she had provided it with a large meal. It was kind of like feeding stray cats really, once you start feeding them they tended to stick around.  

   “First off, not growling or snarling or trying to attack anyone,” she lectured. The pting sighed and shuffled its stubby feet impatiently.

   “Most important, I will feed you, but you have to let me show you what to eat. You can’t go around eating random things. That would end very badly for both of us,” she continued.

   There was plenty of random junk lying around that she needed to get rid of. Maybe if she fed the pting again it would go off and leave her alone. It was worth a try. Yaz, Graham, and Ryan weren’t meeting her until the following morning, so she had some time.  

   The Doctor carefully knelt down next to the little creature. “Do we have an agreement?,” she asked. The Doctor held out her hand.  The pting tilted its head to the side then licked the Doctor’s hand with its slimy tongue before scampering off. 

   “Ah. That’s gross,” the Doctor stated, looking at the pting saliva coating her hand. She stood and quickly followed the creature trotting down the hall. True to their agreement it wasn’t eating anything. The Doctor wiped her hand off on a towel lying on a table in the hallway. She followed the pting around a corner and sighed. It was fast for a little thing. She would probably regret letting a pting hang out onboard the TARDIS, but it felt like the right thing to do.  

   “Alright. The junk room. It’s on your next left,” the Doctor explained. She shook her head as the pting ran down the hall to the right. “Hey, your other left!” 

   About ten minutes later the Doctor had managed to chase down the pting and wrangle it into the junk room. It was now feasting on all of the discarded electronics strewn about the room. 

   “Oh try this. It’s a vortex simulator decoy. It’s pretty obsolete really, but it was made by the Sontarans so it’s probably got some flavor,” the Doctor stated as she handed the pting the piece of equipment. The pting grabbed it in its stubby hands, examining it for a minute then abruptly shoved the whole thing in its mouth, spitting it back out a few seconds later completely drained. It looked up at the Doctor with its big eyes, shuffling its feet expectantly. 

   “I don’t know why you’re so cute, but you are,” the Doctor begrudgingly admitted. The pting abruptly ran towards her, grabbing onto her pants leg. “Hey!,” the Doctor shouted in surprise. She resisted the urge to kick it. Instead of mauling her like she had expected, the pting scratched lightly at her leg, looking up at her. If she didn’t know any better…

   “Do you want me to pick you up?,” she asked in surprise. The pting extended its hands towards her and it was the most adorable thing she had seen in a long time. She tentatively picked it up. After a few moments the pting relaxed and snuggled into her slightly. The Doctor smiled. “Not so different from a dog or cat really. All you want is a good meal and some love.” 

   She carried the pting down the hall into her room and made it a little nest on the bed. She watched fondly as it went to sleep. She could get used to this. 

   The next day, Graham, Yaz, and Ryan excitedly made their way to the TARDIS. They had taken a couple of days for Yaz to spend time with her family and Ryan and Graham to take care of some errands. The three chatted excitedly about where the Doctor might possibly take them this time. The door to the TARDIS opened automatically when they approached. 

   “So weird,” Ryan muttered in amusement. He was still getting used to being inside a sentient spacecraft that defied the laws of physics. They all were. 

   “Hey Doc, where are we planning on going today?,” Graham asked as they all climbed the stairs to the console. It was then that they noticed the pting standing behind the Doctor. 

   “It’s back?!,” Ryan said in surprise. 

   “Doctor, don’t move,” Yaz said. She would punt that thing again if she had to. 

   “Guys it’s ok. Me and the pting have reached an agreement,” the Doctor explained. 

   “What?,” Graham asked in confusion. 

   “Well, it just showed back up. Apparently it was hungry again, and after I had provided it with such a good meal it must have figured I was its best bet for a good meal. Don’t worry, the pting has been on its best behavior,” the Doctor explained, noting the skeptical looks of her companions. “I’ve been feeding it spare parts lying around. It’s helping me out really.”

   “I thought it had poisonous skin?,” Yaz asked, still trying to wrap her mind around a murderous creature they had recently fought suddenly hanging out in the TARDIS. It was cute in an ugly sort of way, but that didn’t mean she trusted it. 

   “Oh yeah. Apparently it can control that. It secretes poison when its nervous or feels threatened. See no poison here!,” the Doctor said, patting the pting on the head. It huffed at her, and scampered to chew on an electrical wrench the Doctor had given it as a treat. “See, I’m learning so much about the pting! I can update the intergalactic encyclopedias, add to the knowledge base,” the Doctor said excitedly. 

   Graham was staring at the pting, who looked like a dog curled up gnawing on a bone. He shook his head. It would definitely take some getting used to, but weird things were part of the reality of travelling with the Doctor. “Well, as long as it stays over there and doesn’t try to murder us, I guess it’s ok,” he said with a shrug. He figured the Doctor wouldn’t have anything on board the TARDIS that would harm them. 

   “I do have one question,” Ryan stated. 

   “What’s that?,” the Doctor replied. 

   “Why’s it wearing a sweater?” 

   The four of them took in the blue fuzzy sweater covering the small chubby alien. The pting looked up and grumbled as if to ask what they were staring at. Graham, Yaz, and Ryan had been so shocked to see the pting they hadn’t noticed the sweater at first. 

   “Oh, it was cold. So I knitted the pting a sweater,” the Doctor said with a shrug. 

   “You can knit?,” Yaz asked. The Doctor didn’t seem like the knitting type. Then again, the Doctor was constantly surprising them. 

   “Oh yeah. I learned to knit during the Wooly Rebellion. It was the ultimate form of protest amongst the humans,” the Doctor explained. 

   “Wow,” Graham said after a moment, slightly at a loss for words. “Well, I guess we have a fifth passenger.”

   “Oh it probably won’t stick around too long. Once it’s had its fill, it’ll probably run off. It’ll pop back in after a while when it’s ready to eat again,” the Doctor stated. 

   “Oh good,” Ryan said with relief. He hadn’t been looking forward to spending too much time with the pting. It still creeped him out. 

   “You’re sure it’s not going to try to kill us again?,” Yaz asked, eyeing the pting. 

   “Totally sure. It’s a total sweetheart now that we have an understanding,” the Doctor replied. The pting bared its sharp teeth, hissing slightly. “Well, maybe sweetheart isn’t the right word. Is there a word for sometimes sweet, but also a bit dodgy around the edges?”

   “I dunno, but you pretty much described my high school sweetheart,” Graham replied jokingly.  

   “You remember your high school sweetheart?,” Ryan asked. 

   “Hey, I’m not that old. I...”

   “Anyway,” the Doctor said loudly, interrupting Graham and Ryan’s friendly bickering, “the pting isn’t going to kill anyone. So if we’re all good, I have an idea for our next stop.”

   “Is it that outer space volcano you were telling us about?,” Yaz asked. 

   “Oh, or maybe that planet filled with only butterflies we read about at that zero gravity diner,” Ryan added. 

   “We should go back there, they had great shakes. A bit messy though,” Graham joined in. 

   “You’ll just have to wait and see,” the Doctor said, pulling various levers and pushing buttons. The TARDIS groaned and launched into movement. After a short flight the TARDIS landed.  “Alright team. Time to go explore.”

   Yaz, Graham, and Ryan excitedly rushed out the door. The Doctor turned around to grab her jacket and felt a tug on her pants leg. She looked to see the pting. “Do you want to come along?,” she asked. She knew it may not be the best idea, but she felt bad leaving it in the TARDIS. 

   The pting shook its head no and scampered towards the door. 

   “Oh, are you ready to leave?,” the Doctor asked. 

   The pting nodded in reply and scratched at the door. The Doctor walked over and opened it. She knew the pting would be able to transport itself wherever it wanted to go. She took several steps and looked over to where the pting was scampering off. “Know that you’re welcome to stop by the TARDIS anytime. I have plenty of junk lying around.”

   The pting looked at her, gave a small wave with its little clawed hand, and then ran off. The Doctor smiled. She knew that it would be back after a while. She didn’t mind having a cute little monster pop in every once and awhile. She laughed and turned in the direction of her companions, ready for the next adventure. 

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's slightly crackish but once I got the idea in my head of the Doctor taking in the pting and knitting it a sweater, I couldn't stop.
> 
> The title is definitely a reference to "The Trouble with Tribbles."


End file.
